2013-14 Division I Women’s Basketball Player of the Week – No. 6

Wilson earns weekly honor after banner week for Belhaven

February 11, 2014

By: Sam Knehans, Communications & Sports Information Intern

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Ariel Wilson of Belhaven (Miss.) has been named the NAIA National Division I Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, the national office announced Tuesday. Wilson was selected based on her performances from Feb. 3-9 and was chosen out of a pool of conference and independent award winners.

Wilson, a native of Brandon, Miss., carried Belhaven to a pair of Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) upsets last week. On Feb. 6, she scored a game-high 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the Blazers’ 69-65 win over Loyola (La.), which received votes in the last coaches’ poll. Then, on Feb. 8, she recorded a career-high 33 points and nine rebounds, while adding a team-high four assists, in Belhaven’s 70-66 upset of then-No. 15 Bethel (Tenn.). For the week, the freshman guard shot .462 from the field (18-of-39) and .737 from the charity stripe (14-of-19), while averaging 27.5 points and eight rebounds per game.

On the year, Wilson has reached double-figures in scoring in 19-of-20 games and leads the Blazers in points per game (18.95), assists (40) and 3-point field goals made (29). Nationally, Wilson ranks among the top 30 in points per game (14th, 18.95) and total scoring (29th, 379).